Gonzalez on HBO Debut, Sharing Stage With Golovkin

By Jake Donovan

It’s an overnight story that has been 10 years in the making, but well worth the wait for Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez. The reigning unbeaten World flyweight champion has served for years as a cult favorite but was relegated to the same place on the sidelines often provided by stateside networks for lower weight fighters.

That changed this year, when American cable giant HBO made the command decision to invest in the future of the supremely talented boxer from Nicaragua, who has captured titles in three weight divisions. Gonzalez made his network debut in May, packaged with rising boxing superstar Gennady Golovkin in front of a crowd of more than 12,000 at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“It was an honor to fight on HBO for the first time in May,” Gonzalez (43-0, 37KO) recalled in a recent HBO blog entry of his breakout party, which came in the form of a 2nd round knockout of Edgar Sosa. “For many years I’ve wanted my fights to be telecast to my fans in America and I was very happy that this was possible. 

“Fighting at the Forum was also an honor as my late mentor and friend Alexis Arguello had fought there four times. To see so many Nicaraguan fans support me that night was very emotional for me. With the backing of HBO now all my fans in America — Nicaraguan and everyone else will be able to see me fight, it’s truly the home of champions.”

Gonzalez and Golovkin are back on the same show, as they will play in the co-feature and main event slot on an October 17 Pay-Per-View broadcast, to be distributed by HBO. Golovkin – who forced Willie Monroe Jr. to quit in six rounds on that same May telecast – headlines his first PPV event as he faces David Lemieux in a middleweight title unification bout. The co-feature pits Gonzalez in a dangerous flyweight defense versus former two-division champ Brian Viloria. 

Both fights will take place in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York City – a far cry from where Gonzalez previously expected to see his career in terms of stateside recognition. 

“For many years it was a problem for my fans in America to see my fights, now with HBO that is no longer a concern of mine,” notes Gonzalez, who previously served as champ at strawweight and junior flyweight before knocking out Akira Yaegashi last September to win the flyweight crown. “Fighting on HBO Pay-Per-View is a very big step in my career. I’ve never gotten so much attention for one of my fights. The press conference in Los Angeles was the biggest I had attended, it was great to meet more people from HBO and participate in the preview shows for the Pay-Per-View. 

“Even while training here in Costa Rica there are a great deal of media interview requests to be honored which I am happy to do. The attention this HBO Pay-Per-View has been receiving will do great things for my career. All of the great fighters over the last couple of decades have been on HBO Pay-Per-View and I’m hopeful that I can put on a performance worthy of these great world champions. I’m sure that Brian Viloria and I will put on a show for the fans that we will be proud of.”     

Gonzalez was a first-round draft pick when it came time to discuss the undercard for Golovkin’s first PPV event. The unbeaten knockout artist from Kazakhstan rapidly emerged as one of HBO’s biggest stars, but his handlers understood the risk in testing the PPV waters. Given the box-office success that came with their pairing in May, it was a no-brainer on the part of K2 Promotions to once again have them showcased on the same night. 

“I was very happy the first time to hear that GGG wanted me to fight on his card,” Gonzalez admits. “Not only is he one of the best fighters in the world but a true gentleman. His fans and team have been very welcoming to me and made me feel at home.”

“Fighting in New York City at Madison Square Garden is a dream come true. This will be my first visit to New York City and I’m very excited to be fighting there. I hope Gennady’s fans in New York City will be supportive and I’m sure there will also be a large amount of local Nicaraguans at the fight. It’s truly an exciting time in my career and I’m so very thankful to GGG and HBO for making this all possible.”